It’s a wonder that with the technology we have there are many people, like myself, who sometimes feel in any given circumstances that we are facing all our challenges in life on our own. I read it many times in the stories on the news and the posting on the Internet. Even at work, as much as companies encourage teamwork, it’s really about everyone for themselves. Or am I wrong?
In our personal lives we are treated like a number to get more “friends” on social networks. Probably, most of the time there is really no real connection. In our professional lives, most of the time we are treated as just a number because we are asked to “produce results” to keep our jobs.
Ron Shaich, the co-founder and executive chairman of Panera Bread has an article in the Nation’s Restaurant News, suggests that progressive companies need to compensate managers who are “profit centers driving long-term customer satisfaction and value creation,” and paying hourly employees “for long-term performance rather than viewing labor cost to be reduced.”
I would suggest to the human resource executives and managers everywhere. As Ron Shaich says, retain the managers and employees who have integrity as a jewel possession. The skill can always be taught with the right mindset. With that in mind, these managers and employees will definitely produce the results. It is really hard to find honest employees today with a teachable heart. The values that anyone has is more important than the end results that people can provide for any company, because without integrity and honesty the results will not be long-term profit centers years and years to come.
On the personal side, we—including myself—have to just work on being more accessible to those who matter to us on a weekly/daily basis because we are the living instruments of the character of Jesus Christ. It’s about being real to them and being something that would make them feel that we are not alone in the world facing the challenges in life on our own.
